"May your injuries be minor, your health problems be short, your knees make it one more year, and your mind works without embarrassment. Also, may your batted balls hit the 5-6 or 3-4 holes and every grounder and fly ball makes a loud 'smack' as it hits your glove! And finally may your bench be merry and filled with harmony."

Merry Christmas to you and yours and may your 2018 be happy and filled with RBIs.

Tips for the rest of us.
Bogie - how about some tips for the never-power hitters? The singles place-hitters trying valiantly to move our average from .550 to .600.

(I believe you know your stuff, but I've played softball for about 70 years and don't understand much of what you write. For example,

"extension of the arms" - mine are 26 inches and I don't know how to make them longer.

"top arm" - I only have a left and a right and don't know which is on top.

"cutting oversnap" - I have no idea what an oversnap is, much less how to cut it.

"Powerful Bathead Swing Makeover" - I don't know what this means but I sure wish I had one to makeover!")

Okay, I poked a little fun and hope I made you laugh. But seriously, any tiny tip - like where to stand in the batters box to hit to left/middle/right, or what is the best pitch to hit to the opposite field - would be helpful.

Championship Game: Runners on 1st and 2nd, two out, bottom of 7th, and home team down by one run. Routine grounder to SS who over throws 3B. Ball bounces past the 3rd baseman, hits the dugout fence and rolls behind the catcher as the runner going to 3rd trots home with the tying run. A couple of home team players are outside the tiny dugout that sits only 7 or 8 players. The ball does not hit any player and the players do not hinder the catcher, pitcher or 3rd baseman.

UMPIRE RULING: Home team players are outside the dugout. All baserunners go back to the bases they had when the ball was overthrown leaving bases loaded and two outs.

Next batter hit a one-hoper to the pitcher. The team in the field is the Champions.

Dave .... For the sake of discussion it seems to me that the following scenario has a non-zero probability.

Assume that a manager recruits a brandy new 2018 80s team populated with three players turning 78 and four turning 79 in 2018. He enters the team in the Phoenix tournament in November 2017. And further assume that the National Rules Committee votes in favor of returning to the pure age group for the 80s for 2018 (at the SSUSA Convention in December 2017). It sounds like the said manager will need to cut the seven then-underaged players and start recruiting again.

I know this scenario sounds theoretical and depends on assumptions, but it appears to be truly possible. I know of a prominent manager who is currently recruiting for a new 80s team for 2018. I would not want to be that manager who would have to tell the younger recruits to join the team for the November tournament with the possibility of being cut in December.

Dave Dowell. Please clarify your last post. It appears that SSUSA will/may change back to 80s as a "pure age group" for 2018.

What would you advise a manger who wants to put together an 80s team for 2018 with 78s and 79s for Phoenix in November 2017 when the 2018 roster rules might/will be changed back to a pure age group at the convention in December 2017?

Rationale? I am very surprised - no, shocked - with SSUSA's reversal. I played with the pre-2016 rule and went through a few innings of strikeouts - this is not a "normal part of the game." Where does it say that trying to hit a ball in the blinding sun is "normal." In fact, many tournament directors in places like Sacramento and St George do not schedule games in the sun fields.

More importantly, the pre-2016 rule is inherently unfair. The worst part of the sun-problem usually lasts for a few minutes which means that some teams have three innings of blinding sun while their competitors have only two innings. This is not theoretical; two years ago we lost a crucial bracket game to a team that we easily beat in the round robin mainly due to us having three innings of strikeouts and them getting a non-strike-out-inning and scoring 5 runs.

This reversal is particularly disappointing because how well the 2016 version of the rule worked in Phoenix last month. This is a major step backwards.

Batters A and B are listed in order on the official batting order given to the ump, but listed as B and A in the batting order placed in the dugout. Batter B leads off and gets a hit, but is called out for batting out of order.

Who bats next? How is the out recorded and against which batter? (It should be recorded against the scorekeeper, but that's another story!)

Bases loaded, one out, 5th run on 3rd base. Infield is playing in a bit and outfielders are playing just beyond the infield. Pop-up behind SS - outfielder moves-in, SS moves back, but ball drops between them and then spins toward the left field line.

The ump yells "Infield Fly Ball" when ball is in the air (no argument). Runners retreat toward their bases and then run when the ball skips away from the fielders.

My team has decided not to go to the TOC and I'm looking for a 70+ or 75+ team. I am permitted by SSUSA to be added to any 75+ Major or Major+ team west of the Mississippi or any 70 Major team that borders Oregon. I might be permitted to play with a AAA team.

I'm a 600+ single hitter and play 2B, outfield and 1B for our 75+ Major team that won the Triple Grand Slam this year.

I have gone to all-but-one TOC tournaments and sure would like to go in 2016 too.

I feel so strongly about this that I name the position "middle fielder (MI)" instead of "rover." I choose the best player as MI, someone with range, good hands and a great arm.

One way to look at it: When you get up to bat, where do you want the MI to be standing? If he "roves," he has to guess where the batter hits.

Then we often have the pitcher cover second base with 2 outs and a man on first base. Then we put the SS, 2Ber, and MI well onto the grass. I hate to bat against this lineup.

Of course, if I'm an exclusive pull hitter, I don't want the MI in short field (so I move the MI to short field in those cases).

Another point: Using the MI in the middle helps the SS and 2Ber. When the MI shades the right side, the SS can move into the 5-6 hole and flipped around for a lefty.

One other point: having the MI hover around second base will get you a few easy double plays which are more important than the rover snagging a line drive or pop-up.

Caution: making all this work requires substantial practice and buy-in. Working on where the SS, 2Ber, and MI play on double plays, force-outs, relays etc. is essential. Poor teamwork around second base can destroy a good infield.

Three+ years ago I was told that I needed surgery because I had bone-on-bone on the medial side (inside) but cartilage on the lateral side (outside). I could barely walk with all the pain, but wasn't ready to take months off from softball.

I went for a second opinion and was told to try the un-loader brace. Now, at age 76, the pain is almost at zero and I'm still using the brace. The brace, which costs about $1,000-$1,500, was covered by Medicare.

Batter hits the ball into left center. He rounds 1st and heads for 2nd. The throw is on time but low. The second baseman bends down and catches the ball. The runner crashes into the second baseman knocking him to the ground. Ump says the crash was unintentional and there is no penalty for knocking down the second baseman. Correct call?

Next call.

Man on 1st base and no outs. The batter hits the ball to SS. The throw to 2nd base is on time but low. The second baseman bends down and catches the ball. The runner crashes into the second baseman knocking him to the ground. Ump says the crash was unintentional and, even though the batter was a very slow runner, there was no attempt by the second baseman (rolling on the ground)to throw to 1st base, so the batter was called safe at 1st. Correct call?

Men on 1st and 2nd with no outs. Batter hits high pop behind 2nd base. Umpire calls Infield Fly. The infielders start towards the ball and the ump yells, "I made a mistake" as it became clear that no one had a chance to catch the ball. The ball hits the ground and the runners take off for 2nd and 3rd, and the batter runs to 1st. Umpire calls everyone safe and apologizes. The defensive team erupts! Was the ump correct?

Would the call change if both runners stayed on base and the batter never ran 1st, and the defense turned a triple play?

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